Pool Table Sizes

There are four main pool table sizes, 7 foot, 8 foot, 8.5 foot, and 9 foot. The size people are most familiar with is the standard 7 foot coin operated table you see at bars and other public places. I’m sure most of us as kids remember rolling that cue ball around the table trying to hit the pockets while our parents talked during supper, that was my first exposure to pool. They’re not as prominent today as they once were in bars due to technology like Golden Tee, Trivia, and other new technologies. The 7 foot table is 3.5 feet wide. The best reviewed 7 foot table at Amazon is affiliate linked below:

The next most common size is 8 foot. You’ll see this size in a lot of homes that have extra room. Obviously being a little bit bigger it also plays a little bit harder. When choosing this and other sizes, remember that every foot you add to your table is another foot of room you’re going to need lengthwise and half a foot in width. The 8 foot table is 4 feet wide as a result, maintaining the same 2 to 1 ratio. Eight foot tables are also common on Amazon, my affiliate link for the best reviewed 8 foot one is below first, the second link is to an outstanding outdoor pool table that had great reviews:

The next size is 8.5 feet long by 4.25 feet wide. When you get to this size, the table starts getting a lot harder due to the increased distance between pockets. The angle that allowed you to make that shot on a 7 foot table might cause you to miss with that extra 18 inches on this table. Amazon doesn’t even carry 8.5 foot or 9 foot tables, which kind of speaks to how popular they are (of course, it’s also not easy to sell something like that over the web either).

The last size is 9 feet long by 4.5 feet wide. This is the largest and most difficult standard pool table size. You have to be pretty good player to use this size. 🙂

The other size you’ll see occasionally in homes is 6 foot. I wouldn’t recommend buying this size as it kind of appears to be a kids toy, it just looks too small. A lot of time these smaller pool tables are left in homes when they move due to the low value of these pool tables.

Snooker table sizes

Snooker tables take challenge to the next level. My grandmother in law has a snooker table in her basement, that thing is TOUGH. Not only is it bigger than normal, the pockets are angled so it’s harder to hit the shots too. Standard snooker tables are 12 x 6 or 10 x 5, same ratio as pool tables. However, as you can see, their much larger than pool tables. I personally don’t enjoy playing on snooker tables too much, my skill level just isn’t high enough to play on them.

Space needed for various pool table sizes

After deciding on what size of table you want, the next question you’re probably wondering is how much space around it you’re going to need in order to play. If you’re using 58 inch cues, then I’d recommend you have 58 inches around the table. Using the standard table sizes above, that means:

Cues

There are also shorter cues you can use (as short as 48″) that will cut close to a foot off around the distance on all sides. In a pinch you can also assume that the few inches for the rails around the game can be subtracted but that will also lead to a lot of dinged up walls. I’m sure most of you have seen a pool table in a space that was way too small, the walls are usually way beat up, and when you’re playing you have to raise the cues into high weird angles in order to make some shots, not the most fun. Make sure you take that into consideration when trying to figure out the size you want, a smaller table that doesn’t hit walls is going to be better than a bigger one where you can’t aim shots properly in my opinion.

Besides just length and width, there’s also another factor to consider, weight. There are basically two kinds of pool tables people are selling currently, ones that have a slate top under the felt and ones that have mdf or other material underneath the felt. The slate top plays the best, no question. However, with slate top, the pool table is basically impossible to move without a large group of people. With an alternative top, a 7 foot table can get down a more manageable 200 to 250 pounds, where a couple people could move it if needed.

Hopefully this article has address all your questions about pool tables sizes. Whatever you pick, I hope you enjoy it.

Growing up I was a huge player of arcade, PC, and console games. Now that I'm older, I've gravitated towards pinball, bubble hockey, online video games, and more. I built this website to try and help out the new person to different aspects of the game room, including options he may not have even considered. Hopefully you find it helpful, and if there's anything you need don't hesitate to contact me. Thank you for visiting my website, I appreciate your support!